Tile skirting boards or Hamburg profile for stairs?

Hi forum,

a question: We are tiling the entire ground floor. But instead of the skirting boards according to the building description (i.e., the color of the laid tiles), we decided on wooden skirting boards with “Hamburger Profil” 90x20.

The general contractor advises against using these profiles for the stairs going up. He argues that due to the unavoidable angle deviations from step to step, the installation is too difficult and the end result will not please anyone. He says you have to cut 2 miters per step, and even the smallest angle deviations mean one angle of the skirting board no longer fits with the next. With tile skirting boards, at least you can compensate for this with silicone and joint material.

How valid is this argument and who has experience with this?

I also had wooden baseboards in tiled areas in my purchased house. They already looked quite worn (the house is from 1980) because the floor is mopped and moisture does not do the baseboards any good over time (unless they are perhaps lacquered, in which case it probably looks different). Fortunately, my stairs are covered with natural stone, and the baseboards are also designed to match. Even with the wooden baseboards in the other areas, I didn't particularly like the way the angle cuts at the corners were done, because corners are rarely exactly 90 degrees and are therefore difficult to miter properly. So I would generally advise against it for the stairs and elsewhere, even if the appearance might suggest otherwise. I will even replace some of the tiles with parquet despite underfloor heating because it simply looks more homely in the living and dining areas, even though there are tiles with a wood look nowadays, etc. I will also have to think about the baseboards again, but if I do it myself, hopefully I can execute it better than before. Where tiles will go again (hallway, bathrooms, kitchen), I will not choose wooden baseboards.